Have you checked to make sure your resolution is set to 1280x1024? Also, go to the Image Setting menu and have it Auto Adjust to properly calibrate the monitor. Finally, these monitors are very bright, so be sure to reduce that if you are going to stare at the screen for long periods of time.
I am running them at 1280x1024 with the DVI cable. I turned the brightness down, but there is smearing on black text that is moving quickly. I recently trialed the Samsung 930B, but I took it back to the store because of it's limited viewing angle (the bottom half of the screen is lighter than the top). The 1905fp is definetely a better monitor for viewing text on web pages, but the 8ms 930B is almost like a CRT in its ability to show fast moving data. I'm either going to buy that, or wait for the new panels coming out soon. I read on the net that Dell is selling the 1905 with an 8ms panel in France. If they bring that out here, I'd gladly pay $500 for it.
I have been trading on these for a while. I also use one of them as a small TV. I think 8 ms is great for gaming action, but I can't see why you would pay a premium for it to trade. I have scrolling text on my screen (T&S) and I don't notice any problem with it. I can hardly imagine that you will notice any difference for scrolling text between an 8ms monitor and the 1905FP. With DVI input and the correct image setting, the 1905FP has provided a crisp image for me. Dell can change the manufacturer of these at any time though, so there might be a difference.
F71, What type of dual Nvidia cards are you using? I have a Compaq D325 with an Nvidia dual head card right on the mother board. It is running the latest Nvidia drivers etc and since I am using this computer more and more for trading Asia ---I am thinking about throwing another dual head Nvidia card and seeing how it works or if it works. Any suggestions would be welcome. Hp was running a special on these about a year and a half ago. I thought it would make a great spare computer and it has been a fine system. The card on the motherboard is an Nvidia Geforce 4 MX Integrated and I would be running a couple 19 inch lcds on the second card for a total of 4. Just so you know. I was going to PM you on this but thought I would post it here. Maybe someone else can suggest an Nvidia card. thanks
I have several machines set up with nVidia Quadro4 NVS 200 PCI cards. They work great together. Here is a link: http://www.compuvest.com/Description.jsp?iid=72391 You just have to be careful not to buy AGP since there is usually only 1 AGP slot in most computers. The great thing about nVidia is that they have a universal driver for all their chips, so you won't get as many software driver conflicts. Be sure to install them one at a time. I have set up a machine with 4 of these for 8 monitors shared among 4 traders and it was seamless. My trading machine has an nVidia FX5200 card. It uses DVI and does the job very well.
FuturesTrader71: You've put some great technical information out regarding these panels and their workings. Thanks very much. Very helpful. I wonder if there is any rule of thumb regarding your statement above on the "software driver conflicts" on the video cards. In other words, does a nVidia conflict with Matrox for instance? Or is there any generalized rule of thumb? Do different manufacturers conflict with each other? In the event that there is a conflict, would you simply delete the driver for one of the cards in order to correct the problem, and then install a new video card of the same type? OldTrader
Thanks Bro! I want to stay with Nvidia and keep it simple. Sounds good. I know you fool with these things on your desk all the time. Do run your Lcd's in digital or analog or both on this card? Most of the time ---I cant tell the differance between analog and digital with market data as long as the monitors are not half ass. Out of curiousity, is the nVidia FX5200 a quad? Thanks again
OldTrader, FWIW, I have used Matrox, Colographics and Nvidia and Appian. I have found out that sometimes you can mix and match and sometimes you cant. I prefer to keep it simple. Since I am not tech savvy and have been spoiled by having a dedicated tech support team help me at a trading desk for far too long. Now all I have is my buddy F71. He tends to be right about this stuff. nVidia cards have a universal driver---so common sense told me that should work better together? and F71 confirmed my thesis on that. I really like the Colorgraphic quad cards. However, you can stack a bunch of the nVidia dual cards in for the same price. Since all I look at is market data. I have found that having the expensive cards these days is a waste of money. At one time, there were only a couple good ones ---Appian and Colographics (5 years ago or so). Now there is a ton of competition and they are all inexpensive.
Thanks for the comments TGM. I'm not particularly tech savvy either, and have noticed that Futures Trader 71 seems to be really knowledgeable. Here's why I asked. I already have a Matrox Quad type card. But the situation is that I'm thinking about buying a new computer. That computer has an nVidia type card in it already. So I'm wondering I guess if I install my Matrox whether it will conflict with the nVidia. The reason I'm wanting to install the Matrox is that it was one expensive video card....so not eager to lose the dough on that. By the way, in case you're interested theres some great coupons these days on Dell computers. One of them knocks off $750. Unbelievable. One of the threads here in the hardware section has the details. Take care OldTrader